This was a huge issue with existing owners because it no longer allowed they to purchase a private golf membership, including all future owners. So, if you purchased a homesite and built a home, you could not golf on the course that helps define your neighborhood. Stinks, right?

Well, while I’m not sure whether they are just being a good neighbor, or if this was a strategy to sell the rest of the available memberships, St. Joe has made available golf memberships for sale to Wild Heron property owners; and the offer is only good through July 11, 2008.

Leave a Comment

5 Comments

What St Joe has done is preposterous and transparent as can be. By immediately denying existing home/lot owners a right to a golf membership, was an obvious way to increase the value of the inventory they purchased and devalue the existing real estate. What sense does it make to buy a lot/home in a golf community where you are unable to purchase a full golf membership? By offering their lots with a full golf memebership, they obviously have a huge marketing advantage and have effectively become a monopolistic entity within the Wild Heron community. This PR scam of offering current property owner’s a full golf membership is again an attempt to be perceived as a good neighbor, when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Essentially what they are saying is that you can pony up the $40,000 fee and additional monthly fees now,in order to preserve the value of your property, or let the July deadline expire and you are right back where you started. So, once again current property owners are being held hostage by the St. Joe Company. Pay the full freight now,or no additional membership opportunities for current/future owners. This is patently unfair and will create a very divided and incongruous community. I doubt very much that that was the vision of Greg Norman and his development team when they created Wild Heron in the first place. St. Joe needs to reconsider their stance and remove any deadlines from full golf membership oppurtunities in the future. Anything less is a great disservice to Wild Heron and its future as a viable, dynamic community in Bay County.

You are misinformed when the new owners(St. Joe) purchased the asset – these homeowners at Wild Heron had already declined to join to the original developer. Many of these original buyers were speculators and just figured “why join? I can just flip the lot for a profit etc.” Now they are kicking themselves because they were unable to flip and they declined to join – thus putting themselves in this predicament – not some ogre developer

Any developer has to put a time limit on the “are you joining or not?” as they need to open up the amenity to outside the development to make it viable. Golf courses cost $$$ to operate and maintain and they need members – not homeowners who opt out and then want to opt in when “flipping” did not work out.

Perhaps these owners will think more carefully at this new opportunity that the new owner is giving them

Well Susan, sounds like you might be employed by the developer. For your information, there are many golf course throughout Florida that have lots where the owner does not buy a golf membership until such time as they build their house. Did you ever consider the fact that some of the people who bought lots in Wild Heron live out of town and are only in the area several times a year? Maybe their future plans are to retire to the area, but they can’t justify the overhead of a membership until they are spending a majority of their time in the golf community?? Also, if you are so informed, you would know that Shark’s Tooth has had a hard time selling memberships, so I don’t think they are worried about the current owner’s filing all the slots. An individual that purchases a lot in a golf community should have the right at any time, given memberships are available, to join the club. Otherwise, why not buy some sand outside the gates. This is a pure power play by the developer to sell their inventory first, so they can recoup their invetment, just like an individual should be able to do.

They (lot purchaser) can’t justify overhead of membership because they are out of town so the developer should give them an open ended offer? So you think the developer has the obligation to shoulder the operations burden until the mood hits a lot owner. The original developer of shark’s tooth or any golf course community typically gives the option to homeowner’s to join. If the original homeowner opts out – the developer needs to consider opening up to those outside the community so that the course operations can be funded from members dues. If the original owner has a perpetual option but does not elect to join – how is the golf course owner/operator able to forecast new memberships (and potentially the “maybes” at the community) to ensure that they do not have too many members such that it is an overcrowded facility…. They have golf course operations that they need to fund and they need to have some sort of real membership to fund them. Unfortunately – developers are not in the business of perpetual options for owners. The fact at Shark’s Tooth is that the many of the original developers home purchasers were not thinking longer term and opted out. The new owner is giving these owners another opportunity. This would increase membership and give them another opportunity to view things with a longer term owner perspective in mind and not lot flipper speculator. If they want the benefit of the golf course amentity to accrue to their real estate, perhaps this is an attractive second chance??? I am not affiliated with Shark’s Tooth in anyway – however, find it a bit shocking when people view developers as having obligation to subsidize their amenities. Where does it say that any business should give someone a perpetual option in case they change their mind? Funding employees and golf course operations are real dollars now that need to funded – so the owner needs to get a membership firmly established to fund those needs. Perhaps a place on the wait list for a homeowner would be an option

Final comment. There are only approximately 100 members of Shark’s Tooth, far below what a typical club has. If St. Joe sells the 28 lots that they have in inventory, that would take it to 128 members. My point is simply that there is not limited space for golf memberships and it is foolish not to allow people to join, if memberships are available, whenever they choose or are able. What is your interest in this ordeal? I am an admitted land owner. You?

About PCBDaily

Since 2006, we’ve posted about what’s happening on Panama City Beach and the surrounding areas: news and issues related to our economical growth, tourism, events, construction, real estate, you name it. We’re locals with a huge passion for our destination, sharing information with those who seek it. Get to know us »

About CYber SYtes, Inc.

PCBDaily is owned and operated by Jason Koertge, Karen Smith and Cebo Campbell. Jason originally founded PCBDaily in 2006 and Cebo and Karen made it more awesome.